What are you listening 2 now?

[Linz]

Mahler Symphony 1 Sinopoli

[Que]

   

I particularly like Schantz fortepianos BTW.

[Iota]

Iota

Quote : Just the sight of the cover improves my mood! 



Your order is awaiting despatch......

Oh well, good things come to those who wait etc. Bon courage! 

[Karl Henning]

After a "rain delay"

CD 5

"Papa"
Symphony № 97 in C, Hob. I:97 (1791)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Schubert/Berio
Rendering (1989-90)
Heinz Holliger

Hindemith
Concert Music for Strings & Brass, Op. 50 (1930)
Kurt Masur

How do you like the Hindemith/Masur?

Tight! An exciting account of a favorite score.
The Berio qualified for Maiden-Listen Monday!
The score is thoroughly enchanting. I liked this far more than (decent) expectations: exactly the sort of discovery Maiden-Listen Monday is for. As indeed was the Rorem Quartet courtesy of Jeffrey.

[SonicMan46]

Reicha, Anton (1770-1836)) - Wind Quintets w/ the Westwood Wind Quintet; 12-disc box (in individual jewel boxes so takes up some room!) - Amazon price is ridiculous - current offer at the Crystal Records website is $128 USD - believe I purchased the box there at $20 less on a deal a while back - BUT 10 bucks/jewel box is not bad if one wants all of these works?  Dave

P.S. When I bought the Westwood set, I emailed the oboist, Peter Christ, about the instruments used - he stated modern ones w/ 'period practices' (whatever that may mean?); also there is a less expensive CPO box (below right) of 10 CDs (less repeats probably), but also on MIs - I would love to hear these works on 'period instruments'.

P.S.S. ALSO - the Michael Thompson Wind Quintet on Naxos - believe have done most if not all 24 - in a box?  And modern instruments, I believe.

 

[Karl Henning]

Five pianos is a very nice composition.

Love this disc. Doesn't hurt that Amy is an acquaintance

[Traverso]

I do not recognize that box at all. Checked Brilliant's website and it's not there. What sorcery?!

You are referring to the Messiaen box ?
The answer is simple,it is oop,you have to look for used copy.

[Linz]

Bach Gardiner Cantatas for Assension Day BVW 43, 37, 28 and 11 Lenneke Ruiten soprano, Meg Bragle alto, Andrew Tortise tenor and Dietrich Henschel bass

[Traverso]

Oh well, good things come to those who wait etc. Bon courage!

I have to wait at least three week ,brexit.....

[Brian]

I've long loved Previn's LSO Vaughan Williams London Symphony. Now that I subscribe to a streaming service that includes the Telarc catalog, decided to compare it to the Royal PO version.

Slower overall, with total luxury in the orchestral sound and incredible sonics (from the brass to the deep bass drum response). The dynamic range is enormous. It's wild to think that (in my very ignorant opinion), recording quality basically has not gotten better since this was released (1987), except that back then, only 2-3 labels were capable of sonics like this.

Is the performance better? Who knows? We get to enjoy both. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

After a "rain delay"

Tight! An exciting account of a favorite score.
The Berio qualified for Maiden-Listen Monday!
The score is thoroughly enchanting. I liked this far more than (decent) expectations: exactly the sort of discovery Maiden-Listen Monday is for. As indeed was the Rorem Quartet courtesy of Jeffrey.

I will look for the recording!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Cemal Reşit Rey: Scenes From Turkey. Hikmet Şimşek/Budapest Symphony Orchestra.

[aligreto]

Arnold: Symphony No. 3 [Penny]





I find the music of the opening movement to be wonderfully inventive. The musical statement, in itself, is relatively straightforward but what makes things really interesting here is the scoring and the delivery of the music in terms of its orchestration. There is also great tension in this music. I find it all to be very engaging. It makes for very interesting and engaging listening.
The slow movement is wonderfully atmospheric. The scoring, once again, plays a great part in this. It is the variety of tones and sonorities on display here that I find to be very appealing and interesting. The sum of the individual parts lends to a very engaging whole here. Drama and tension also lend wonderfully to the overall atmosphere in this movement.
The final movement is a quirky contrast to the monumental slow movement. I find it to be filled with excitement and the music is wonderfully presented and driven here. The woodwinds are wonderfully playful and effective here in contributing to the overall atmosphere of the movement. The conclusion is particularly fine, emphatic and definitive.

[aligreto]

Do try the performance by the Huelgas ensemble. 

Thank you for the recommendation, Que.
I do, in fact, own that recording and, yes, it is a very fine one. 

[Linz]

Vaughan Williams on Brass Tredger Town Band

[Todd]

The dynamic range is enormous. It's wild to think that (in my very ignorant opinion), recording quality basically has not gotten better since this was released (1987), except that back then, only 2-3 labels were capable of sonics like this.

Assuming Jack Renner engineered this, the sound quality is very likely to be as good as or at least almost as good as the best new recordings available today.  It is essential to remember that technical limits for digital (first 14 bit then 16 bit, and 44.1 KHz sampling) were not randomly selected.  When it comes to dynamics, consumer grade audio gear cannot reproduce 16 bit dynamic range, which is in practice 93 dB.  The amount of amplifier power needed and the xmax of even top of the line drivers both act as real-world, physical limitations on what can be reproduced.  There are other limitations as well.  (And if anyone ever tells you they have a system that can reproduce 24 bit range, they either have no clue or are lying since 21 bit is the hard limit.)  There are almost no extant recordings that take full advantage of 16/44.1 capabilities.  Most are compressed and many recordings made even today rely on bandwidth limited microphones, so there are physical limits to what can be reproduced in the first place.  You basically have to buy audiophile label recordings to hear the supposed benefits of high res wizardry, but the best artists don't record for those labels for the most part.  (OK, Paavali Jumppanen has made some specialty recordings, and I'm sure there are a handful of other big name artists who have dabbled in this area.) 

[Todd]

An exquisitely beautiful Lohengrin Prelude surrounded by less compelling performances.

[Que]

Answer in the Opera thread.

Check. 

[aligreto]

Debussy: Syrinx for Solo Flute [Pahud]





This short work is typical of the atmospheric music of Debussy and it is very well delivered here.

[Karl Henning]

CD 6

Henri Dutilleux
Tout un monde lointain ... (1968-70)
Godfried Hoogeveen, vc
Yan Pascal Tortelier

Witold Lutosławski
Piano Concerto (1987-88)
Lars Vogt, pf
Daniel Harding

Wolfgang Rihm
Marsyas (1998-99) Rhapsody for trumpet, percussion & orchestra
Reinhold Friedrich, tp
Gustave Cimeno, prc
Geo. Benjamin

The Lutosławski & Rihm qualify for Maiden-Listen Monday!